April 2015

It has been a busy and momentous time at The Chapel these past few days which culminated in our official re-launch.

RE-OPENING CEREMONY

On Saturday April 11th Stuart led a short ceremony officially re-opening The Chapel after a six month closure which saw English Heritage complete renovation work to roofs, drainage and other structural improvements. Members of The Chapel have also worked hard during this period to improve many aspects of the building.

Over forty guests attended the event, during which Stuart thanked many people for their efforts in helping to create the vibrant community that The Chapel is becoming. Alison Pollard from the National Churches Trust congratulated the assembled group for the way in which their grant had been put to such effective use and Stuart was also able to welcome Sara and George Nicholl and Marion France as members. The occasion also marked the retirement of Susie Evershed from her lifelong work for the chapel, ending the 261 year association that the Evershed family have in serving on the committee. Other notable mentions were the sterling work of treasurer John Carter who, since 1989 has served the committee and whose financial skills secured additional funding and the guiding of us through the recent English Heritage offer.

The proceedings were beautifully punctuated by music from Classical Folk and by folk club favourites Mike and Reina Reinstein.

The ceremony ended with these words which summarised the newly defined aspirations of The Chapel community:

In this place…

May the stillness of contemplation open our minds,

May the heart of compassion inspire us to love,

May the joy of creativity enliven our spirits,

And may the bonds of community draw us ever close.

(Above, the attendees of the re-opening ceremony).

ALL ABOUT HORSHAM

On Friday 10th local magazine All About Horsham visited with the intention of running an article for their May issue about the rejuvenation of The Chapel. Members and friends turned out to be interviewed and photographed. Special thanks go to Roy Nash, Trevor Clawson and Mike Reinstein who represented the Folk Club and who provided an impromptu jamming session.

FOLK CLUB

Roy Nash was guesting at the Folk club with Brian Skinner. Despite it being Easter weekend, a strong crowd of audience and singers turned out to support another great evening of music. Thanks to all who played and listened.

UPCOMING

Check out our calendar for details of upcoming services, cafe and meditation sessions and thanks for your interest in The Chapel.